PAVING CORTLAND'S STREETS

Main Street, Cortland, looking north from Court Street intersection in 1899. Grip's Historical Souvenir of Cortland.

Cortland Evening Standard, Saturday, December 28, 1895.

PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.

Paving.

   The result of the public meeting at the Opera House last evening was the endorsement of the bill submitted by the village board of trustees, with a single amendment giving property owners along a street to be paved or macadamized ten years, instead of five, in which to pay for their share of the paving. This is in accordance with the suggestion offered by The STANDARD some days since, and makes the bill, in our judgment, as easy a one to secure paving under as could be devised. If our village property owners, with ten years in which to pay one third of the cost of paving or macadamizing opposite their premises, will not undertake the work, then paving is simply impossible. But we anticipate no such failure. As soon as the law is passed we look to see petitions in circulation and a rivalry between property owners to see which street shall first be improved. And as soon as one residence street is thoroughly macadamized, the residents and owners on almost every other will be anxious to have the same work done in front of their own premises.

   We say macadamized, because a majority of the most competent judges of such matters in our village believe that macadam, properly put down, is decidedly the best and all that is needed—besides being far the cheapest—for our residence streets. Main and Railroad-sts. should have Belgian block pavement. In Flushing, L. I., nearly all the streets of the village including the main street are macadamized, the entire work was paid for out of the proceeds of village bonds issued for the purpose, and the people are perfectly satisfied with the result. Our climate, of course, is rainier and colder than that of Long Island, but if the work of macadamizing is scientifically and thoroughly done, it ought, on residence streets at least, to answer every purpose and at a great saving in cost. It is easily and cheaply repaired also, which is another point in its favor. But it should be borne in mind that poor macadam is only one step in advance of good mud.

   One suggestion was made by a prominent citizen after the meeting adjourned last evening, which ought to have been brought to the attention of the meeting. It was that provision should be made in the bill that if any property owners desired to pay for their paving in five years time, instead of ten, they should have the privilege of so doing, and that if any property holder desired to pay his paving assessment at once and in full, he should not only be permitted to do so but allowed a discount of say 6 per cent for "spot cash," as is done in the city of Washington, for example.

   These amendments are certainly desirable in every way, and would undoubtedly have been accepted last evening had they been offered. The object of fixing the time for payment at ten years was to make the burden of paving as light as possible for those who would not pave unless the burden was light. It certainly would not conflict with this idea to let payment be made in a less time by any one who desired it, and it would also give more ready money to push forward the work. Should our village board incorporate these provisions in the bill, we believe their action would be unanimously approved.

   ◘ We know of no country newspaper in this state which has made more rapid advances than the Monroe County Mail, since it came under the able and enterprising management of Mr. Will O. Greene, formerly of Cincinnatus. Mr. Greene took it, a four-page and not particularly flourishing paper, in a town near the city of Rochester—which has a liberal number of excellent newspapers—and made it a first-class country weekly, and then enlarged and improved it till now it is twelve pages, six columns to the page, folded, pasted, trimmed, beautifully printed and full of live and interesting reading matter. Few editors could give a village like Fairport such an excellent journal as the Mail and make a living at it, but Mr. Greene does both and the people ought to appreciate him.

   ◘ If the editors of leading British newspapers have any friends at all in this country, the best service these friends can do is to get it into the heads of the British editors, with a chisel and mallet if necessary, that the stir among Americans on the Venezuelan question is not a mere election dodge, neither a political "twisting of the British lion's tail." On the contrary, there is only one mind among the American people—and this a very serious and earnest one—that Great Britain shall not have everything her own way with weak and helpless Venezuela. Moreover, the hearts of all the American people are moved as the heart of one man to fight if necessary, fully aware at the same time of the serious consequences of a declaration of war between Great Britain and the United States. They would hate it, but they would do it. The sooner the British press makes its readers aware of this solid and solemn fact the better.

   ◘ Those willing to help the 350,000 Armenians who must be fed and clothed for the next seven or eight months, till the new harvest is planted and reaped, should address Miss Clara Barton, president and treasurer of the American Red Cross society, Washington. Miss Barton will be in Washington a little time longer before she sets out in person for Turkey with supplies for those starving Christians who have thus far escaped the Mohammedan butchers. Grain, flour, food of all kinds suitable and clothing will be as acceptable as money. With the utmost expedition it requires five weeks to get supplies to the Armenians and many have a chance to die of starvation in the meantime.

President Cleveland "twisting the tail of the British lion." Punch cartoon.

In Case of War.

   A broad smile of genuine amusement must now be wreathing the countenances of the followers of Mr. Gladstone at the snarl into which Lord Salisbury and his Conservatives have got themselves. Salisbury stands as the representative of the jingo party in Great Britain, the party that always wanted to fight. If it should come to a war between us and Great Britain, the real sympathies of every nation in Europe, except Spain, would be on our side, not because they like us, but because they do not like England.

   England stands alone, insular, self sufficient and unsympathetic. The feeling she puts out to them they put back toward her with interest. Nothing would please them better than to see her involved in a dispute with us. It would be the signal for Russia instantly to renew her aggressions on the British northern boundary in India. Germany and France would reach out for more territory in Africa, and they would not be particular whether their reach overlapped British claims or not. She would have to drop all mediation in the Turkish question and perhaps lose Egypt to France. She would have her hands so full with us that she could no longer look out for her trade interests in Japan and China.

   The British isles have a population in round numbers of 40,000,000. Of these people 5,000,000 are Irish, and they, almost to a man, would keep up such a fire in the rear that it would require a large part of the British army to hold them in order. Ireland would welcome nothing so much as an English war with the United States.

   It is true that England has an army of 200,000 men, while we have only 25,000. But in a week's time we could put 1,000,000 men in the field from our population of 65,000,000. It is true that England has 564 warships, while we have only 71. But how quickly we can build fighting vessels was shown during the civil war. Besides what good would all her navy do England in case of a war with us? She could not hurt our foreign commerce, for we have none. Our products are shipped in British vessels, and England would be turning her guns on her own ships and subjects if she attacked merchantmen from our shores.

   It is true that England might batter down Boston and possibly New York, but that would not amount to anything. In 48 hours we would take possession of Canada and British America, and they would be ours forever. What is more, at least half the inhabitants of those regions would be glad of it. Finally Great Britain has $1,000,000,000 more or less invested in the United States regularly paying her people dividends. Can she afford to throw all that away?

NEW SKATING RINK.

Prepared at the Park. To be Well Lighted and Kept in Order.

   During the past week the Traction company has been preparing a skating rink on the strip of park land situated between the track and the river between the trolley and highway bridges. This has been effected by throwing a shallow dam across the basin a few rods west of Port Watson bridge and by pumping water from the river. The sheet of water thus obtained is about 700 feet in length by about 150 feet in width; the greatest depth, near the dam, being under four feet.

   The rink is being fenced in on all sides, the entrance being at the southwest corner, or west end of the dam. At this point is situated the pavilion, a building 50 feet in length by 15 feet wide, the north end of which is fitted for a band stand or orchestra, the middle portion as a check room for skates, overcoats, etc., and will be in the charge of Mr. Warner Rood, who will also serve coffee, chocolate land light refreshments. The south end of the building, 30 feet in length will be provided with seats and stoves for the accommodation of visitors, and has a window running its entire length and commanding a full view of all parts of the rink. The enclosure is surrounded by 10 arc lamps, the globes of which will be colored, giving a pleasing effect against the background of snow which it is anticipated that nature will soon provide.

   It is the intention of the company to keep this sheet of ice swept and sprinkled, and to charge an admission fee of five cents. Tickets for the season will be obtainable for $1.00 each, either at the office of the Traction company or at the rink. If the attendance at the rink is sufficient to justify the expenditure, it is intended to have band concerts on certain evenings of the week, when special park tickets will be sold in Cortland, Homer and McGrawville as in the summer.

Died in Pasadena.

   Cortland friends of Mrs. Grace Hubbell Shults, wife of Dr. James H. Shults, will regret to learn of her death on Dec. 15 at Pasadena, Cal. Mrs. Shults was a native of Virgil and was graduated from Syracuse university in 1876 and the following year was married to Dr. Shults. For a time both Dr. and Mrs. Shults taught in the Normal school. For a number of years they have lived in California where the doctor is a practicing physician. The body of Mrs. Shults was cremated.

BREVITIES.

   —Be prompt for the train to-night for Ithaca. The special leaves at 7 o'clock sharp. [Joseph Jefferson playing Rip Van Winkle at the Ithaca Opera House—CC editor.]

   —Watchnight services will be held in the Homer-ave. M. E. church next Tuesday night beginning at 8 o'clock.

   —The members of Division No. 1, A. O. H., and the wives of the members are requested to meet at Empire hall tomorrow at 3 o'clock P. M.

   —An error occurred yesterday in the name of the president of the Y. P. S. C. E. of the McGrawville Presbyterian church. It should have been Mr. E. B. Wood.

   —All gymnasium members of the Y. M. C. A. are requested to meet in the gymnasium to-night. The annual gymnasium contests take place Monday night at 8 o'clock.

   —C. T. Albot has on exhibition at his dyeing establishment on Orchard-st. a sheep whose wool has been dyed a deep red. Mr. Albot believes in the practical demonstration of what he can do in coloring all wool goods.

   —At the meeting of Cortland Commandery, No. 50, Knights Templars, it was voted to visit the Home for Aged Women at Homer on New Year's day.

The Commandery will go in a body in uniform on the afternoon of that day.

   —The case of McMahon against Bell was called in Justice Dowd's court this morning, a jury was drawn and an adjournment was taken to Jan. 8. This is an action to recover on an alleged promissory note. The complaint in the case of Samson against Crance was dismissed by default of plaintiff.

   —The engine of the north-bound local freight on the D., L. & W. became derailed yesterday while shifting some cars on the Hitchcock switch. The engine of freight train No 23 which had just left Cortland returned from Blodgett Mills and after two hours' hard work the derailed locomotive was put on the track again.

Rebuilt machine shop and foundry. A fire in 1895 destroyed most of the old buildings.

Cooper Bros. to Rebuild.

   Cooper Brothers are making plans for rebuilding their shops which were recently destroyed by fire. They have erected a small building in which they are perfecting their water power machinery. To a STANDARD man yesterday they stated that it was their intention to begin the erection of a foundry in the early spring. The new foundry will be 76 ft. by 76 ft. in size and of the most approved pattern. They are as yet undecided at to what further they will build after the foundry, but it is very probable that a machine shop with full modern equipments.